The Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program is a $1,500 online grant for parents/guardians of eligible students served by special education and who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Parents/guardians of eligible students can use the online accounts to shop the marketplace to obtain educational materials and resources such as textbooks, curriculum, or technology devices and/or services such as additional speech therapy, tutoring, or other specific services.

Regardless of whether a student with a disability receives SSES, the student’s school must still meet all federal and state special education requirements to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to the student, including the determination of whether the student requires compensatory services because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In other words, SSES goods and services are offered above and beyond what is required by a student’s school to ensure that the student receives a FAPE.

To be eligible for the SSES grant, students must currently be:

• enrolled in a Texas public school,
• enrolled in PreK - 12th grade,
• and a student with a disability served through Special Education.

(Students who previously received an SSES grant are not eligible to receive another grant.)

SSES applications must be submitted by a "parent" as defined by SB 1716. This is a person who has legal authority to make educational decisions for the student(s) for which they are applying.

According to SB 1716, "Parent” means “a resident of this state who is a natural or adoptive parent, managing or possessory conservator, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child”.

If the applicant is in question, the SSES program may ask for documentation to resolve any disputes.

The SSES application will be closing on March 15, 2024, and will re-open next school year on February 3, 2025.

No. The SSES+ Medically Fragile program is considered a special part of the SSES program. Students who qualify for SSES+ Medically Fragile receive all the basic benefits of the SSES program plus the extra benefits described here. Students whose PEIMS coding lists them as “Medically Fragile” qualify for SSES+ Medically Fragile.

As a note, the SSES+ Medically Fragile program will be ending on December 6, 2024. The SSES and SSES+ Medically Fragile application will be closing on March 15, 2024, and will re-open next school year on February 3, 2025. Families that currently have SSES+ Medically Fragile accounts or apply before March 15, 2024, will have until December 6, 2024 to spend these funds. Students who would have qualified for the SSES+ Medically Fragile program will still be eligible for SSES if they have not previously received an account.

The SSES website is the best place to learn about the SSES program. The SSES team updates this website and FAQs regularly to reflect any program changes and information. Be cautious of external websites that have SSES information or are promoting their service or products, as these websites are not affiliated with TEA, and may give inaccurate or misleading information. Report any such websites toSSEShelp@region10.org.

• ClassWallet is the online marketplace and where you will pay service providers. If you need assistance or need to cancel an order, you can call them at (877) 969-5536 or email them at help@classwallet.com.
• For general special education questions, please contact SPEDTex at 1-855-773-3839, inquire@spedtex.org, or spedtex.org.
• You can also reach out to the SSES program for specific SSES questions at SSEShelp@region10.org.
• For specific purchasing questions, you can also reach out to SSESpurchasing@region10.org, please add your order number if you have a specific question regarding an order.
• For questions regarding your application, you can reach out to SSESapplications@tea.texas.gov or call 1-855-773-3839.

No, students served under section 504 do not qualify for the SSES program as they are not served through Special Education. Please read here for more information about section 504.

Possibly. Students must not have graduated prior to applying. To qualify, students must be currently enrolled. Please note, it is the family's responsibility to notify the SSES program if a student's eligibility status changes due to graduation or other enrollment changes.

No. Students must be currently enrolled in a Texas public school (district or a charter school).

The SSES program provides $1,500 for each eligible student. These funds must be used to provide educational goods and services that benefit that eligible student. Families with more than one eligible student are encouraged to apply for each eligible student. The application allows families to apply for multiple students within the same application using the "Add Student" feature. If a family is awarded accounts for multiple students, account funds may not be combined and must still be used to provide the $1,500 benefit to each eligible SSES student.

If you have more than one student with an SSES account, you will have to “toggle” or switch between students. For more information about how to “toggle” between your students, ClassWallet has a helpful article for you.

There are a few main reasons why parents might be having trouble finding their students’ UID and/or completing the application:

• The Student Lookup function attempts to find the UID that matches the student’s first name, date of birth, and SSN or S#. If any of these are entered incorrectly, the system will not find a match. Please double-check that you have entered everything correctly.
• The Student Lookup function can only recognize a student’s first name if it is entered exactly the way it was when the student was registered. Any spaces, apostrophes, hyphens, etc., must match exactly. If your student’s first name has an unusual spelling or a symbol such as an apostrophe, you may want to check with their school to see exactly how it is spelled in the school records.
• The Student Lookup function can only find the UID if the SSN or S# matches the one that was used when the student registered.
• If an SSN was not used when the student first registered, the school will have given them an S#. These start with the letter “S” and have eight digits. If your student was registered with an S#, and you do not know the S#, please contact your student’s school and ask them to provide it. This will typically require proof of your identity.
• If an SSN was used when the student first registered and you do not know it, please contact your student’s school, and ask them to provide it. This will typically require proof of your identity.​​​​​​
• Unfortunately, TEA is unable to look up these numbers for your student, as we cannot verify identity. Your student’s school is the best way to get these numbers.

TEA uses data from the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to verify eligibility. This data is updated twice a year when state data is received, using PEIMS Fall Enrollment Snapshot and the PEIMS Summer Attendance data. All applications are reprocessed at these times, students that are newly eligible will be notified of their change in eligibility.

If a family receives a denial letter from the SSES program, they can appeal the denial by providing proper documentation – the denial letter includes all of the information needed to appeal the decision. If you would like to appeal a denial and did not receive this information in an email, you can reach out to SSEShelp@region10.org and request the appeal form.

19 TAC §102.1601 (c)(2). "TEA will use Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) codes to verify eligibility in order to award accounts for the SSES program."

If you are applying for a student who is new to Texas public schools, we want these families to know that, although they still might be eligible, it may take longer to verify your student’s eligibility and your application may take longer to process. The following are examples of students whose eligibility may take longer to verify, due to enrollment data that is only available twice a year:

• Pre-K students
• Kindergarten students who did not attend Pre-K
• Students who recently moved to Texas or weren’t in Texas last school year.
• Students who were previously homeschooled
• Students who previously attended a private school

Yes, the SSES application will be closing on March 15, 2024, and will re-open next school year on February 3, 2025. The SSES program has not changed and this is still a one-time grant. If you have previously received an SSES account, you will not be eligible to apply next school year.

The SSES application will be closing on March 15, 2024, and will re-open next school year on February 3, 2025.

All applicants will get an immediate confirmation email indicating their application has been received. This email will also provide estimates on how long the current process should take.

SSES awards accounts if and when they become available. If there are not accounts available at the time of the application, those applications are placed on a waitlist and these families will likely see longer wait times for their application to be processed. Families should expect a monthly email update on their application status.

Please know, the application process may take time, and unfortunately, the SSES team is unable to provide an estimate on when families might expect their application to be processed.

Additionally, the SSES program “prioritize[s] the awarding of applicant accounts based on applicants qualifying for the National School Lunch Program and available funds” (19 TAC §102.1601 (c)(3)). TEA uses the student’s “economic-disadvantage-code” in PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System) to determine if a student qualifies for the National School Lunch Program.

The “economic-disadvantage-code” is determined for each student at the beginning of the school year or during enrollment. Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch (FRL), as determined by their “economic-disadvantage-code”, will likely receive accounts before students that are not eligible.

Please note, student eligibility in the National School Lunch Program is based off the individual student’s family income, to see the income eligibility please visit this site. This is different from a district or school providing free lunch for all students. Parents should contact their child’s school if they have questions about their student’s “economic-disadvantage-code”.

Visit the SSES Homepage to apply and for additional program information.

No. This is designed to be web-based. The system is compatible with mobile devices.

SSES applications must be submitted by a "parent" as defined by SB 1716. This is a person who has legal authority to make educational decisions for the student(s) for which they are applying.

According to SB 1716, "Parent” means “a resident of this state who is a natural or adoptive parent, managing or possessory conservator, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child”.

If the status of the applicant is in question, the SSES program may ask for documentation to resolve any disputes.

Yes. An SSES application can be canceled if it is determined that the application was submitted by someone other than the SSES student’s “parent” as defined by SB 1716.

Families will be notified that they are placed on a waitlist. Applications placed on the waitlist that are determined to be eligible, will receive an account only if additional funding becomes available. Applications on a waitlist are not guaranteed an account. Accounts will be funded in the order in which applications were originally submitted.

Please know, the application process may take time, and unfortunately, the SSES team is unable to provide an estimate on when families might expect their application to be processed.

Additionally, the SSES program “prioritize[s] the awarding of applicant accounts based on applicants qualifying for the National School Lunch Program and available funds” (19 TAC §102.1601 (c)(3)). TEA uses the student’s “economic-disadvantage-code” in PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System) to determine if a student qualifies for the National School Lunch Program.

The “economic-disadvantage-code” is determined for each student at the beginning of the school year or during enrollment. Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch (FRL), as determined by their “economic-disadvantage-code”, will likely receive accounts before students that are not eligible.

Please note, student eligibility in the National School Lunch Program is based off the individual student’s family income, to see the income eligibility please visit this site. This is different from a district or school providing free lunch for all students. Parents should contact their child’s school if they have questions about their student’s “economic-disadvantage-code”.

Yes. After you are awarded an SSES Account, families must complete the activation requirement within 30-days of receiving their account email. To complete the activation requirement, families MUST:

1. Login using the email you applied with AND,
2. Sign the parental affidavit. (Note that if you have more than one account, you will need to sign separate affidavits on each student)

Failure to do these two things may result in reclaiming or a loss of funds. Account holders will receive several reminders to complete the activation requirement.

Please reach out to SSEShelp@region10.org. The SSES team will give you the next steps required. Appeals will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If the student associated with this SSES account is no longer eligible for the program, the SSES Accountholder should not activate this account. By accepting the SSES Parental Acknowledgment and Agreement, you are agreeing that your student is still eligible; if this is NOT TRUE, you should contact SSES administration at sseshelp@region10.org to inform them that your student no longer meets the eligibility criteria below.

Your student is eligible for an SSES Account if the student is currently:

• receiving special education services
• in grades PreK-12th grade (meaning they have not graduated) or enrolled in an 18+ high school program
• living in Texas AND
• enrolled in a Texas public school

19 TAC §102.1601 (f)(4). "Parents and guardians who receive an award notification but whose student no longer qualifies under subsection (b) of this section shall notify TEA of their student's change in eligibility status."

Yes. Every account has an expiration date. This is likely your “purse” title in ClassWallet – you will also receive multiple emails telling you when your account expires.

Funding timelines may change for a variety of reasons. New expiration dates will always be communicated in multiple ways.

Yes, the SSES program “prioritize[s] the awarding of applicant accounts based on applicants qualifying for the National School Lunch Program and available funds” (19 TAC §102.1601 (c)(3)). TEA uses the student’s “economic-disadvantage-code” in PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System) to determine if a student qualifies for the National School Lunch Program.

The “economic-disadvantage-code” is determined for each student at the beginning of the school year or during enrollment. Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch (FRL), as determined by their “economic-disadvantage-code”, will likely receive accounts before students that are not eligible.

Please note, student eligibility in the National School Lunch Program is based off the individual student’s family income, to see the income eligibility please visit this site. This is different from a district or school providing free lunch for all students. Parents should contact their child’s school if they have questions about their student’s “economic-disadvantage-code”.

Once parents have received their account award email from info@classwallet.com, parents will follow the steps outlined in the email. The SSES program funds may only be used through the online marketplace on ClassWallet. Families will not receive a gift/debit card, nor can families be reimbursed for purchased made outside of the ClassWallet marketplace.

The SSES Accountholder agrees to only use the funds if the student associated with the SSES account remains eligible after receiving the award. If the student is no longer eligible, but account funds remain, the SSES Accountholder agrees to stop use of SSES account funds and to inform SSES program administration at sseshelp@region10.org. Any remaining account balance will be returned to the SSES program.

19 TAC §102.1601 (f)(4). "Parents and guardians who receive an award notification but whose student no longer qualifies under subsection (b) of this section shall notify TEA of their student's change in eligibility status."

The SSES funds are for families to supplement your eligible student’s education with educationally relevant products, technologies, and/or services. For example, you may want to purchase additional hours of occupational therapy for your student, or you may want to purchase educational products that fit your student’s needs, such as computer software or hardware.

All purchases will be reviewed by SSES staff and must be approved in order to complete the order submission process. Further justification on some goods and/or services might be requested. It is recommended that families include justification on their original order submission.

Only one tablet/iPad and laptop/computer will be approved per eligible student. Further purchase guidelines can be found here (link to SSES Purchasing Guidelines in English, and here in Spanish). If you are uncertain if an item is eligible or not, it is recommended that you either reach out to SSEShelp@region10.org or SSESpurchasing@region10.org, with the item and justification so that administrators can provide more information, or that you submit the item(s) in question in a separate order. Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to make line-item modifications to orders at this time.

Requests to purchase replacements for items that get damaged or lost are not usually approved. It is strongly recommended that when purchasing electronics, parents also purchase a warranty and a durable case (if applicable) for the item. Requests for replacement items will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and only granted in unusual circumstances.

All purchases are subject to the SSES Parental Acknowledgement and Agreement.

When requesting the purchase of a service, please ensure that a clear and legible copy of the invoice is uploaded through the ClassWallet payment portal.

In addition, please ensure that the invoice includes:

• Dates of service (must have already happened and be after March 2020)
• Service or therapy type
• Service pricing including the price per unit of service
• Invoice amount must match the amount requested (this does not include service fees)

If an invoice amount is greater than the amount of the purse balance, the amount requested may be approved even if it does not match so long as it uses up the entirety of the account holder’s balance, we recommend adding this in the justification as well.

• Name of the SSES approved service provider or who provided the service
• Name of the student/family receiving the service or therapy

If you believe your invoice might be hard to read, you can also email it at SSESpurchasing@region10.org, please add you order number in the subject line or in the body of the email.

Approval of purchases may take up to 30 business days. If you’re wondering where your purchased items are, we recommend you reach out to ClassWallet directly. You can call them at (877) 969-5536 or email them at help@classwallet.com.

Parents will never need to pay upfront, as the online marketplace will transfer funds directly to the approved vendors/service vendors. However, if a purchase exceeds the allotted funds in the account, the accountholder will need to pay the remaining balance out-of-pocket upon time of purchase approval.

No. The SSES program is not set up for reimbursements for goods or services. Families can only use the funds in their ClassWallet account to purchase goods and services from vendors approved for inclusion in the SSES program.

If you see an article or other marketing materials from ClassWallet that refer to reimbursements, know that this isn’t a supported feature of the Texas SSES program.

Yes. Every account has an expiration date. This is likely your “purse” title in ClassWallet – you will also receive multiple emails telling you when your account expires.

Funding timelines may change for a variety of reasons. New expiration dates will always be communicated in multiple ways.